Drew Barrymore Is Hungry for Human Flesh in “Santa Clarita Diet”

My cannibal romance.

Ever since the streaming mogul Netflix began producing original content, new shows seem to be coming out every month. Sometimes it’s for the best (BoJack Horseman) and sometimes it’s definitely for the worst (The Ranch). No matter the quality, Netflix deserves props for bringing a vast array of programming into our homes for a very affordable price, and as the years pass, the content is also getting edgier.

This dark comedy/horror series tells the story of Sheila Hammond, a realtor quietly living her life with her family in the suburbs. It all seems rather normal and mundane except that she dies and returns physically unchanged, but with an appetite for human flesh. The trailer suggests there may be a moral code à la Dexter, because Sheila aims to eat people “who deserve it,” her husband suggesting that “the prototype would be a young single Hitler”.

Granted, this probably won’t prove to be as revolutionary as The Wire, but it feels like a breath of fresh air in as era of “serious” television series (some are even suggesting TV has hit its peak). Santa Clarita Diet has a “Desperate Housewives on crack” kind of vibe, and we’re are all for it. The show looks gory (but not so much that your significant other will hate it), surprising, and the jokes (and meta references) seem to land. We probably have the attached talent to thank for that.

Alongside the two stars is a talented cast comprised of Thomas Crawford, Natalie Morales, Richard T. Jones and the incomparable Patton Oswalt, so there’s absolutely no reason for this show not to be your next binge watching session. It probably won’t reinvent the wheel, but at least you know you’re in for a good time.

All 13 episodes of Santa Clarita Diet will premiere on Netflix on February 3. Watch the trailer here.

published on January 20, 2017

Jean-Julien Kahn

Jean-Julien is an aspiring screenwriter/director currently living in Madrid. He reads comics, watches movies, and plays video games.